1. Field
The following description relates to a tunneling control method and apparatus for a coordinated multi-point transmission between base stations, and a method of transmitting data.
2. Description of Related Art
Coordinated multi-point transmission (CoMP) is a scheme that enables a plurality of base stations to simultaneously transmit signals to terminals located on the edge of a cell. The scheme is used to enhance the data rate at a terminal that has a weak transmission/reception signal. By coordinating and combining signals from multiple antennas (base-stations), CoMP makes it possible for mobile users to enjoy consistent throughput and quality when they access and share videos, photos and other services whether they are near the center of a cell or at the outer edges of the cell.
Study groups such as 3rd Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) standard are studying coordinated multi-point transmission. Algorithms to perform coordinated multi-point transmission may include, for example, a coordinated silencing algorithm, a coordinated scheduling/beamforming algorithm, a joint processing/transmission algorithm, and the like.
In a cellular communication system, terminals are mobile. Due to this mobility, the channel status of each of the terminals may vary over time. Also, interference may occur in the terminals due to various causes. Accordingly, to apply the coordinated multi-point transmission in the cellular communication system, information for coordination between the base stations may need to be shared in real-time and may need to be negotiated. When information to be shared is susceptible to a time delay, the time delay may greatly affect the performance of the cellular communication system.